Is this fair?

Those are the words on John Goodenough’s lips, manager of Care in the Garden, who is worried for the future of the not-for-profit organisation, which had to shell out over £23,000 in VAT alone last year.  

“With the VAT, and the rising cost of everything, this little company will struggle to continue,” said John, who has been with Care in the Garden for 14 years.

“We’re working tirelessly to keep going.

“We don’t want to close, we have nearly 100 people here working throughout the week, and it would break a lot of people’s hearts if we had to."

Care in the Gardens was set up to create work opportunities for adults with additional needs, and is funded by what it grows, makes and sells at its nursery on Palmers Brook at Wootton Bridge.  

(Image: County Press) (Image: County Press) “Social care is underfunded, and the council has had its social care budget cut year upon year," said John. 

“Companies like ours are scratching our heads thinking: where are we going to get the money from?

“We rely on our sales to cover the shortfall.

“Last year was a good year for us sales-wise – the best we’ve ever had – but at the end of the year the government gave us a whammy of a VAT bill.

(Image: County Press) (Image: County Press) “It rocked us to the point of panic.

“We’re not against paying VAT, we don’t want to be exempt, but we want to be treated fairly.

“You analyse it, and on one side, we save the council money by taking on their responsibility, and on the other, we make the government a lot of money.

“But we’ve struggled like mad in the middle, delivering the work that we do and the support and training we provide, to give the guys who work here hope for their future.

(Image: County Press) (Image: County Press) “Nobody in this company owns an executive wage; no one earns any more than anyone else.

“That’s the ethos we started with, but you find you do become a tax collector for the government.

“Private businesses will say: so do we, but this company is a little bit different.

“It takes us longer to produce products, so we cannot be as commercially viable as the company up the road.

(Image: County Press) (Image: County Press) “What we’re asking for is more of a level playing field."

Following the news that Care in the Garden is struggling, John says the organisation has been inundated with support from locals.

“I’m in awe of it,” said John.

“I don’t think people realise just how much we have here. It’s a proper shopping experience.

“We have so much to offer beyond just plants.

“Why not pop in and have a look?”

(Image: County Press) (Image: County Press)